2013 NFL Draft Preview: Defensive Ends

A look at some of the top defensive end prospects leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In the weeks leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft, DenverBroncos.com is taking a look at the draft prospects position-by-position.

We will devote a week to each group, looking back at some of the Broncos' previous picks at the position and showcasing some of the top prospects through top stories, blogs and Broncos TV videos.

This week: defensive linemen, a position we'll divide into defensive tackles and defensive ends.

We covered defensive tackles on Monday. Below you will find six of the top prospects at the defensive end position. Later in the week, we will profile another top prospect -- Oregon defensive end/outside linebacker Dion Jordan.

• POSITION: Defensive End • COLLEGE: BYU • HEIGHT: 6'5"• WEIGHT: 271• CAREER STATS: 72 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks • COMBINE: 4.63 40-yd. dash, 21 bench reps, 34.5 in. vert. jumpOn whether it's hard to believe he's on the cusp of being a first-round pick: "I don’t know if I should say it’s hard to believe. Obviously it’s a blessing. It’s really humbling. I’m really privileged to be out here and I’m really grateful for the opportunity I have. I thank the Heavenly Father for giving me my athletic abilities that I have. I just have to use it right."

• POSITION: Defensive End • COLLEGE: SMU • HEIGHT: 6'8"• WEIGHT: 277• CAREER STATS: 28 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 17 blocked kicks • COMBINE: 4.60 40-yd. dash, 38 bench reps, 34.5 in. vert. jumpOn when his football skills really clicked for him: "The bowl game against Pittsburgh my junior year, that was the first time I really just went for it. I knew the schemes inside and out so I didn't have to worry about as much about where I had to be -- I knew my assignment and my alignment. I just went from there."

• POSITION: Defensive End • COLLEGE: LSU • HEIGHT: 6'4"• WEIGHT:241• CAREER STATS: 29 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, 27 quarterback hurries • COMBINE: 4.58 40-yd. dash, 37 in. vert. jump, 128 in. broad jumpOn whether he's too light to play defensive end in the NFL: "My main focus in the off-season is to put on weight. I put on 15 pounds and I'm still as quick as I ever was. Still the same first step, and I think I can add more, so it's not an issue. I don't think it will be a problem."

• POSITION: Defensive End • COLLEGE: LSU • HEIGHT: 6'3"• WEIGHT: 262• CAREER STATS: 32.5 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, three forced fumbles • COMBINE: 4.81 40-yd. dash, 34.5 in. vert. jump, 114 in. broad jumpOn what sets him apart as a pass-rusher: "The thing that sets me apart is my stamina and endurance. Someone who isn't going to quit or give up. My intensity and game play is something that increases late in the game, which proves I am a four-quarter player and very clutch."

• POSITION: Defensive End • COLLEGE: Texas A&M • HEIGHT: 6'3"• WEIGHT: 299• CAREER STATS: 197 tackles, 45 tackles for loss, 26.5 sacks • COMBINE: 4.95 40-yd. dash, 12 bench reps, 35.5 in. vert. jumpOn former teammate Von Miller: “I feel that we have that big brother-little brother relationship. I am the little brother and I try looking up to him and do everything he does. I try to follow his footsteps and try to be as good as him, if not better. So that whole experience was amazing. He kept me humble my freshman year. Whenever I had some success he told me, 'Good job, but forget about it, we have to go on to other things.'"

• POSITION: Defensive End • COLLEGE: Florida State • HEIGHT: 6'3"• WEIGHT: 266• CAREER STATS: 35 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, 17 passes defensed • COMBINE: 4.83 40-yd. dash, 25 bench reps, 31 in. vert. jumpOn his first taste of the game being flag football in Germany: "When you turn 15 you automatically advance to tackle football, and it was just the most amazing feeling just hitting people. I just fell in the love with the game. I played a lot of Madden, that’s how I got to know the NFL. It was just crazy. And then my head coach said, 'You have a lot of potential. You should try to go to high school and go through the whole American recruiting process with the goal to be here and get drafted.' I never looked back, it was just pursue that dream."